Severe Weather

Mother Arrested After Children Found Amid Garbage, Feces

Police in Pittsburgh said a routine inspection led to the arrest of a mother and the rescue of four young children living in filthy conditions.

Police said when inspectors went to the apartment on Bentley Drive in the city's Hill District, they found the home so packed with garbage, furniture and animal feces they couldn't open one of the doors.

Channel 4 Action News' Amber Nicotra reported that police arrested 26-year-old Shartayua Mason after finding her four young children inside.

"She is good. She takes care of them kids. They go to school every day. She goes to school every day. She really looks out for them kids. I feel so bad," said Shon Ellis, a family friend.

Nicotra reported that crews arrived on Thursday with buckets and soap and opened the windows to air out the apartment.

Police said the children, ages 8, 4, 3 and 2 years old, had been living in the insect-infested home for quite some time.

According to the criminal complaint, a rabbit was running loose in the home and rabbit and mouse feces were all over the tables, counters and inside the refrigerator.

Police described the conditions in the home as "extremely deplorable, unsanitary and unlivable."

The complaint also says the entire apartment was cluttered from wall-to-wall with garbage, piles of clothing, furniture and food and smelled as though something had died inside.

Nicotra reported that when police arrested Mason on Wednesday night, she broke down crying and said she went to school in the day and that she had been asking for help, but never got any.

Ellis said Mason just kept putting off the cleanup.

"She was like, 'Yeah, yeah well give me another week. Give me another week. Well I'm ready to do it now.' She just kept putting it off. She was a procrastinator," Ellis said.

Mason was placed in the Allegheny County Jail on child endangerment charges.

The children were removed from the home, checked out at a hospital and are now in the care of the office of Children, Youth and Families.

Click Like To Become A Fan Of WTAE On Facebook:

Copyright 2012 by WTAE. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.